Marketplace

FONTANA >> Pizza lovers, rejoice (and pass the antacid): A 1.3-mile pizza may become reality in Fontana on Saturday. A pizza restaurant equipment distribution company based in Kentucky, with a branch office in Carson, will attempt to assemble the mega-pie at the

If you saw a Rebel Alliance fighter straight out of “Star Wars” out on the highway, you aren’t crazy. Two Southern California-based super fans weren’t exactly jumping through hyperspace when they battled flat tires and thunderstorms in New Mexico and Texas on the 10 Freeway this week, but it was worth the risk to be part of

Q I am tired of hearing how we older folks are draining the economy, particularly when it comes to health care costs. And if we aren’t working, there’s a buzz we are not contributing to society; if we are on Social Security, we are limiting the chances of our children collecting theirs.

It’s a little snug around the hips. The color is, well, challenging. “Ernest Goes to Camp?” Are you serious? So the gift isn’t a good fit. It happens. But now, the hard part: How does one return a gift that was purchased online? Don’t be scared, it’s not so hard.

The years of hunkering down at home for the holidays are over. Thanks to lower gas prices, cheaper airfares and an improved economy, Southern Californians — in record numbers — are taking to the sky, boarding trains and hitting the open road.

Q I am 70 years old and have been retired for several years after working for a small business. I am seriously considering looking for a job but am worried that my age will be an obstacle. Is there anything working in my favor? Many thanks.

EL MONTE >> The opening of a 500,000-square-foot, $55-million industrial park is the single largest industrial development in the city in two decades, according to city officials. The new Magellan Gateway, located on Temple City Boulevard where El Monte meets with Rosemead and Temple City, opened earlier this month.

IRWINDALE >> Software giant QAD Inc.’s manager of North America drove from Santa Barbara to an electric vehicle workshop here. The location — amid the obscurity of an industrial section of the San Gabriel Valley — may have been the perfect spot for Doug McAlister to hide from his high-tech competitors known for providing perks to employees.

Grocery shoppers throughout Southern California might have felt a sense of déjà vu Wednesday when they returned to the Albertsons and Vons stores that had closed last year only to become part of Haggen supermarkets’ ill-fated expansion into the regional marketplace.

ONTARIO >> Beginning Aug. 7, Southwest Airlines will offer additional service between LA/Ontario International Airport and Portland, Oregon. “Southwest continues its commitment to Southern California and to LA/Ontario International Airport,” said San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, who serves as a commissioner on the Ontario International Airport Authority.

Aspiring hip-hop artists can, for a fee, learn how to navigate the music business with a little help from some of the industry’s best. “It’s not something you can get in college; it’s something I’ve learned as a record executive,” said L.

Gulf War veteran Robert Marlin stopped going to parties because he couldn’t bear to explain that he was still out of work. Laid off from his job as a personnel director for a security firm in 2011, the 45-year-old father of two didn’t seriously pursue work for a time to help his daughter do well in high school.

Southern California residents this week will have what a Los Angeles auction house is describing as a “rare” opportunity to buy some of the personal effects of “Unbroken” icon, USC Olympian and Torrance hometown hero Louis Zamperini.

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello plans to perform at a container terminal at the Port of Los Angeles today to show his support for truck drivers at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach. The Grammy Award winner,

TEMPLE CITY >> Bidwell Street resident Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto doesn’t appear to be an economic innovator. He was certainly a sought-after celebrity Thursday however, at one point acknowledging “I’m the guy.

Toys are no longer child’s play. In fact, it’s big business for a lot of adults. And for so-called “toy scout” Joel Magee, the older the toy, the better. He is bringing his popular Toy-Buying Show to Whittier and the San Gabriel Valley this week.

SACRAMENTO — California’s unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent in August, the second consecutive monthly increase. The figure released Friday represents an increase of two-tenths of a percentage point from July.